NCAA faces trial after ruling in death of DIII football player

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A judge’s ruling Wednesday set up a potential trial for the NCAA in the death of a Division III football player, reports CBS Sports’ Jon Solomon.

Former Frostburg State player Derek Sheely died in August 2011 after sustaining a head injury during practice. In 2013, the Sheely family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NCAA, members of the Frostburg State coaching staff and helmet manufacturer Schutt.

In a Maryland circuit court, judge David Boynton ruled that second-impact syndrome, the injury that allegedly killed Sheely and which results from multiple concussions, is not a “known inherent risk” when playing football. The condition classifies swelling of the brain in consecutive concussions, when the second one aggravates injuries and symptoms sustained from the first.

The judge ruled the NCAA has a “special relationship” to protect student-athletes due to its mission statement, and that it thus has some legal duty to do to warn people of the risks.

The case could potentially set a precedent for other football-related death lawsuits, with the NCAA possibly heading to trial in June.

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